Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Nairobi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $885 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Nairobi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Nairobi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $885 in Nairobi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Nairobi $885

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,436 in Nairobi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Nairobi $1,436

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,987 in Nairobi, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Nairobi $1,987

Playa del Carmen costs about 36% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa del Carmen and Nairobi are more affordable than the global median – Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Nairobi 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$6.43 KES 835

69.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.51 KES 4,482

25.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$6.26 KES 813

88.18%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$2.60 KES 338

46.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.90

$0.64 KES 82.9

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$0.67 KES 86.8

16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.30 KES 299

37.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$2.75 KES 357

79.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$0.95 KES 123

48.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$0.59 KES 76.2

276.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$2.00 KES 260

-29.00%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$1.69 KES 220

49.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.01 KES 1,430

-34.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$6.41 KES 832

20.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$6.41 KES 832

97.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$3.42 KES 444

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$1.06 KES 138

29.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$2.03 KES 263

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$1.14 KES 147

85.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$1.10 KES 143

76.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$1.10 KES 143

71.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$0.74 KES 96.0

55.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$0.76 KES 99.1

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.38 KES 438

27.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.65 KES 1,513

-14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.26 KES 293

-30.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$2.74 KES 356

-2.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$0.83 KES 108

-33.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$46.81 KES 6,079

-43.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$1.52 KES 197

226.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$1.52 KES 198

119.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$2.80 KES 364

91.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.55 KES 202

-7.10%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$19.4K KES 2.5M

6.64%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$22.2K KES 2.9M

5.63%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,581

$56.7 KES 7,359

49.62%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$436

$15.25 KES 1,981

53.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$34.78 KES 4,516

-17.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$51.6 KES 6,705

10.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$15.64 KES 2,031

84.85%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$7.60 KES 987

-32.37%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,851

$277 KES 36.0K

-25.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-68.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$27.73 KES 3,601

56.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$29.36 KES 3,812

41.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$69.3 KES 9,000

7.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$59.1 KES 7,671

51.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$441 KES 57.3K

121.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$235 KES 30.6K

61.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,131 KES 146.9K

51.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$522 KES 67.8K

105.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$1,234 KES 160.2K

219.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$805 KES 104.5K

665.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$484 KES 62.9K

51.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

14.71

-22.16%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nairobi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Nairobi

$235 26.6% 38.2% $145

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Nairobi

$209 23.7% 17.8% $45

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Nairobi

$124 14% 38.9% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Nairobi

$107 12.1% 22% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Nairobi

$83 9.4% 25.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Nairobi

$67 7.6% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Nairobi

$59 6.7% 17.5% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $441 in Nairobi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 52% higher in Playa del Carmen. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $35 in Nairobi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $209 – making Nairobi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

22:02 10:02 PM

8 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

3,138,295 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Nairobi 13,560 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Nairobi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs Nairobi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen costs about 36% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $1,327 in Nairobi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nairobi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $441 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $277 in Nairobi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $885 in Nairobi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nairobi costs $885 versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Nairobi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Carmen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.